Ski binding



4 Sheet s-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Auorwc; 14. MHJA/A-R/ BY qAmm/ M L. A. MAJNERI SKI BINDING Sept. 9, 1952 Filed Feb. is, 1948 L. A. MAJNERI SKI BINDING Filed Feb. 16, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 '4 E /H 20 lo 45 I 20 43 LG a a? 33 3 28E a4 1 23 4.1 .8 Q 24 I 29 i 2' l8 '2| 2'] l4 I8 20 as I Z0 45 +5 o A a5 a 54 54 45 2\ 45 INVENTOR.

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sx: BINDING Filed Feb. 16, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V EN TOR. Maw/a A. MAINE/Pl the ski.

Patented Sept. 9, 1952 Ludwig A. Majneri, Grosse Pointe, Mich. Application February 16, 1948, SerialfNo. 8,537

a a -l This invention relates generally to ski bindings and refersmore particularly to improvements in bindings of the type having provision for clamping the toe as well as the-heel portion of a boot on a ski. a

Ski bindings; of the above general type are usually designed'to firmly hold a boot on a ski against movement either transversely or longitudinally of the ski,; and are ordinarily equipped with means for yieldably resisting upward movement of the heel portion of the boot relative to the ski. More particularly ski bindings are usually equipped with laterally spaced toe'irons respectively engageable with opposite sidesof the toe portion of a'boot to position the'latter on the ski and areprovided with some means for positively holding the toe portion downwardly against Rearward displacement of the boot relative to the toeirons is ordinarily prevented by a cable suitably attachedtothe ski in advance of I.

the boot and embodying a resilient element which is adapted to be looped around the back of the heel on the boot. The-cable is attachedso that the resilient element applies a downward thrust on the heel portion relative to the ski and provision is also made for adjusting the tension of the element to vary the extent of downward force applied to the heel portion.

While bindings of the above design have achieved considerable recognition because they 7 actually do firmlyholdthe boots in place on the skis, nevertheless, they are the direct cause of many leg injuries, especially when used by novices or relatively inexperienced skiers. There are two principal causes of leg injuries or break age. Briefly, under certain conditions of skiing.

an abnormal side strain may be applied to one or both legs of the skier which may be of suiiicient magnitude to break either or both legs. Moreover, in skiing under certain conditions, the forward motion of the skis may be impeded or stopped altogether; As a result the skiertends to fall forward, and in so doing, a substantial lifting force is applied to the heel portions of the boots. This lifting'force is counteracted by the hold-down cable and may reach such proportions that one or both legs of the skier are strained to the breaking point.

The possibilities of undue leg strain caused by the application of side thrusts is greatly reduced by providing toe irons of the type shown in my copending application, Serial No. 787,808; filed November 24, 1947; now Patent No. 2,517,795, dated August 8,1950 which automatically release the toeportion of the boot in response to the ap- 2 Claims. (01. 280 11.35)

v 2 i plication of a laterally outward force on one. or both toe ironsof a magnitude less than any force capable of unduly straining either or both legs of the skier. i v

With the foregoing in view, itis an object of this invention to provide a ski binding having means for releasing the heel portion of theboot in response to the application of a lifting force on the boot which is less than any. force capable of straining the legs of the skier to the breaking point. W i i Another object of this invention is to provide a ski binding with a heel releasing device which operates independently of the toe irons and may i be employed on bindings having orthodox rigid toe irons, if desired. A further feature of this invention is to provide a ski binding with a heel release which will release the heel portion of the boot upon the application of a force determined by the tension of the adjustable hold-downdevice and which is in itself adjustable to permit varying degrees of lifting movement of the heel portion beforere' leasing the latter. i

A still further object of this invention is to provide heel releasing means which also assists in positioning the bootin operative relation to the binding. i i

The foregoing as well as other objects will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a ski showing a boot held in position thereon by a binding;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a part of the binding shown in Figure 1 and having certain parts broken away; v

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the plane 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure .4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the rear end portion ofthe binding;

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the construction shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 7;

Figure!) is a longitudinal sectional view modified form of heel release;

Figure 10 is a sectional view takenon the line Iii-i0 of Figure 9;

Referring now more in detailto the drawings,

it will be noted that the reference character in designates a conventional ski and the numeral.

H indicates generally a binding for securing an orthodox ski boot I2 to the ski. The binding. .l I}.

comprises a supporting member orbase. plate l3 attachable to the ski in the usual manner by suitable fastener elements and adapted, to format bearing surface for the heel portion of the boot I2.

In accordance with orthodox practice; 'the toe portion of the boot I2 is clamped in place on the ski I0 by a pair of toe ironsuin-the-form of elongated-plates l4, respectively carried :bya toe plate [5 shown in Figure 3 of the drawings'as secured to the ski at the front end of the platel3. Re

ferring now to Figure '2 of the drawings; it will be noted that the toe irons converge from the rearend of the .toe plate, andare'in'clined laterally inwardlyiwith' respect'to the opposite sides of the boot to actually wedge the toe portion of the boot in position on the ski;

In many instances it is desirable to provide a;

constructionwhich 'enablesadjusting the angle of convergence of the .t'oe irons" to compensate for differentv types 'of boots, and .to assure properly clamping aparticular'boot' in place One construction used in the past for -acco'mplishingthe above result. is toprovi'd'e' laterally inwardly extending flanges; It at the ;bottom' edge of each toe iron. These flanges are slidably. supported on:

the toe plate f5, and are normally concealedby a cover plate ll suitably secured in. place-byfastener elements in the form of .screwslm Certain of the screws l8 pass through:elongatedslots' 19 formed in the flanges 16 to enable. the unclestructed pivotalmovement of 'theflanges It required toadjust thev angular relation. of. ithe toe irons relative-to the boots. Thedesirediadjuste ment of the toe irons is effected by. suitable screws 20 arranged-in vpair'spwithicnespairl; associated with-eachiflange I6. Asshownzin'Figureiz of the drawings-,;the screws iEElofXeach pairare respectively positioned atr-opposite'ends; of the associated flange 1%,andzthe hea'ds iof the :two pairs :of. screws are respectively accessiblexfor manipulation from opposite sides of the binding. Eachscrew 20 is formed with an enlarged annular. portion, 2 I. havingthetop part extending into a suitable slot 22 formed in the cover plate I7, and having the bottom part.,engaging thetoe plate I5. Thus the screws 20 are anchored against axial movement relative to the toe plate.

Threadably mounted on each'screw Zil'is anut- 23 having a laterally inwardly extending projection. 24 pivotally connectedto-theadjacent edge portion of the associated flange I The arrange.- ment is such 'as to enable-the-toeirons"to be moved bodily inwardly or-"outwardly or to be angularly adjusted by proper" manipulation of the screws 20.

In the present instance the toe irons M are --respectively connected to the outer edges of the flanges 16 by hinges '25 enablingjthe toe irons It to be swungrlaterally outwardlyfromtheir .up-

right or boot clamping positions, shown in Fi ures 1 to 5 inclusive of the drawings. The toe irons [4 are located in their upright or boot clamping positions by suitable stop means associated with the front end portions of the toe irons. In detail the front ends of the toe irons are turned inwardly beyond the toe of the boot and are provided with depending projections 26. The projections 26 are adapted to rest against a suitable bearing plate 21 secured to the top surface of. the ski in .a positionin advance of the toe plate Hi." The arrangementis such that when the projections 26 engage the. bearing plate 2'! in the manner shown in Figure 4 of thedrawings, the

toe irons are located in their proper clamping positions with respect to the toe of the boot.

Inasmuch as the toe irons cooperate with one another to clamp the toe portion of a boot in positionz-on the-ski, it. follows that some means 7 holdthetoe irons in their boot clampingpositicns during normal skiing maneuvers, but less than any force-capable of straining either leg of the user beyondthe breaking point. In detail a bracket '29 is'usecured to the ski I0 against the plate?! by. screws -'30,I' andis provided with an vupstanding.i'flange 3| at ctherear end thereof.

The upstanding flange. 3 If is positioned forwardly beyond the :toe irons andextends transversely of theskiiat' such anlelevati'on to protect to some extent *thegtoesportion of the'bootclamped be tweenthetoerironsz: A fitting 32. is secured to the rearl face ofihesflange 3|. between the front end portions of .the toe irons. and is provided with a:rearwardlyiextendingvpost 33.1 The post 33 is located .midway .between .the. front end portions of the.ztoe ironsxandsihas.anoenlargement 34 at the rear: end'formed .with a.lip 35.1 The enlargement e34 -;acts as :atstopi'td limit forward movement;of the boot relativeto. the binding, and the lip 351s adapted'to engage the top surface of the sole of the bootto prevent'upward displacement of the-toe of {the boot relative to. the binding.

The inwardly curved front end portionlof each toe iron is provided-with a rearwardly'extending' projection :40; and theseprojections. are adapted to assume '1 positions onalaterally opposite. sides of the v'post333: whenthe toe .ironsyare in their boot clamping qpositi'ons showninFigure 4 of the outward force-against oneor bOth. of -the toe. irons The.-.-.ar-rangemen-t.- should be such that, if .forany. reason-the boot. 12 is twisted ,in' one.

direction or the other during, skiing, thefcord 4| .will. break beforethestrainontheleg of the user. reaches ethezbreakingfpoint. It .will, of

course,;be understood-=that the :cord .4! maybe wound withmore turns connecting one toe iron:to the apostfiil than the number of turns connecting. ,theothen toe. iron to the post, so that the latter .toe .iron .willbe released first; In fact various different arrangements may be resorted to to suit the wishes of the user. As another example, the cord need not be wound around the center post 33 in which event it merely acts as a tie between the two toe irons. In any case the releasable means 28 acts as a safety device to minimize the danger of unduly straining or breaking the skiers legs. Attention may be called to the fact at this time that the number of turns or strands of the cord used to connect the toe irons together or to the center post 33 may be varied depending upon the strength of the legs of the particular user. This'feature renders it possible to obtain the maximum safety for the particular user without altering the design or construction of the binding.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3 "inclusive, the toe irons are provided with upstanding lugs 43 at the top edges thereof, and these lugs are slotted to receive a suitable toe strap not shown. This toe strap may be used in the field to temporarily secure the toe irons in their operative positions after the cord 4| has released the toe irons. However, the cord 4| may be very quickly replaced, and this practice is preferred from the standpoint of safety.

It follows from the foregoing that any condition encountered in skiing that tends to twist or shift one or both feet of the skier applies a lateral outward force on one or both the hinged toe irons, and if this force dangerously approaches any force capable of unduly straining therlegs of the skier, the cord 4! breaks releasing the toe irons from the boot.

eliminate the possibilities of such injuries. For example, leg injury may result from a condition in skiing wherein forward motion of the skis is either retarded or stopped altogether with such suddenness that the momentum of the skier throws the body forwardly, and of course, tends to lift the heel portions of the boots off the skis. When considering that most ski bindings have means for holding the heel portions of the boots down againstthe skis with a force of suflicient magnitude to enable theskier to lean far forward over the front portions of the skis without losing balance, it will be understood that any sudden retardation of the forward motion of the skis may place a strain on the legs of the skier sufficient to break or fracture the same. This invention overcomes any such danger without interfering with the normal operation of the binding by providing means for releasing the heel portions of the boots from the respective skis in response to the application of an abnormal lifting force on the heel portions.

With the above in view, reference is again made to the drawings. wherein one type of popular heel hold-down mechanism is shown. This mechanism comprisesa flexible cable 45 and a releasable clamp 46 secured to the ski well in advance of the boot. In general the clamp 46 has a base plate 47 slidable on the ski and having a plurality of transverse ribs spaced from each other lengthwise of the ski. The adjacent ribs cooperate to form recesses 48 for selectively receiving the cable 45. The upper ends of the recesses are closed to prevent accidental disengagement of the cable by a clip 45 having the rear endfashioned to snap over the corresponding end of the base plate 41 and having the front end pivoted to the plate 41. The plate 41 is connected at its front end to the lever 50 by links 52, and the lever in turn is pivoted to a This construction greatly reduces leg injuries, but does not entirely i the drawings.

61 bracket 5| suitably secured to the ski in advance of the plate 41. The construction is such that the cable 45 is selectively loosened and tightened by swinging the lever in opposite directions in accordance with orthodox practice.

The cable 45 is looped intermediate the ends and the looped portion is selectively engaged in the recesses 48 to vary the effective length of the cable, or as will be presently noted, to vary the force tending to hold the heel portion of the boot down against the ski. The free ends of the cable 45 are connected by a coil spring '53 and the latter is adapted to seat in a groove formed in the heel of the boot. The tension of the spring, and accordingly, the force tending to clamp the heel of the boot on theski de pends on the effective length of the cable which in turn is varied by anchoring the cable in different recesses 48 provided on the clip. Also, in order to increase the downward force component applied to the heel of the boot by the cable, suitable brackets 54 are attached to opposite side edges of the ski in advance of the heel of the boot for respectively engaging the opposite side portions of the looped cable. Thus the boot is not only firmly held downwardly on the ski, but is also held against fore and aft movement relative to the ski.

Although the spring 53 acts to yieldably clamp the heel of the boot against the ski, nevertheless, the tension of the spring is usually such that only a very limited lift of the heel is per" mitted so that the skier may lean far forward without releasing the bindings from the boots. If for some reason, While in the above position, forward motion of the skis is suddenly retarded, a strain may be applied to the skiers legs sufficient to fracture one or both legs.

In accordance with this invention, however, the cable is released from'the heel of the boot in the event the lifting force applied to the heel of the boot approaches a force that may unduly strain the legs of the skier. One form of cable release is shown in Figures 6, 7 and. 8 of This release comprises a flexible strap 60 and a clamp 6|. The clamp 61! has a plate 62 secured to the top of the ski rearwar-dly of the plate I3, and has an upstanding threaded post 63 on the plate for threadably engaging a thumb nut 64. The nut 64 engages a clamping part 65 apertured to receive the post 63 and having depending flanges F at opposite side edges adapted to rest on the plate 62.

The strap BI] is looped intermediate the ends around the spring 53 and the free end portions of the strap extend rearwardly between. the plate 62 and the part 65. The free end portions of the strap are formed with registering openings O spaced from each other longitudinally of the strap for selectively receiving the threaded post 63. Also opposite sides of the strap are fastened together by a fastener element 66 to provide a loop of suflicient size to accommodate the spring 53. I

It follows from the above that the strap applies a force in a downward and rearward direction on the spring 53 after the heel of the boot is raised an amount depending upon the length of the strap 60. The amount of downward force required to release the spring 53 from the heel of the boot depends on the tension of the spring or upon the adjustment of the cable length and in any case is less than any force that may unduly strain the legs of the skier.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figures: :9to. 12. inclusive differs frornthe one.

previously described in that the strap 69 is adjustablygclampedwn-theski; without the aid of holes inthe strap;: In detail a platefil" is se cured to the skiby. suitable -fastening.ineans, and a bracket 625'. is fixed to. the plate by the same fasteningmeans. lhe bracket iiihas a recess 93 formed therein for receiving the free end portions of the strap 69 in superposed rela- 'tionship and opposite. sides of the recess are formedv with vertical grooves 8%, Suitable clamping. plates 65'. and 56" are positioned in thereoess 63; and are formed with? laterally outwardly projecting tongues. 57 at opposite side edges for respectively. engaging in the grooves E4.

. Iniuse-tlie bottonrplate. 657i ispositionedba tween the free endsofthe str-apte and the top plate fi'ii'ftblltS-theilOD surface of: the up" permost end .of the.strap,. as clearly shown in tra tively engageable withopposite sides of the s adjacent the loop and secured together by clamping screws 72. The clamping screws are spaced laterally beyond opposite side edges of the strap, and as a result, the strap neednot be apertured to receive the. screws. As a result the strap be imperforate and this. is desirable where maxiinum strength is required.

The modification .shown inyFigures 13 to 15' inclusive differs from either ofqthe above con-'- structions inthatv one. end of the strap 69 is secured to the Ski: by a plate i3 and screws The other end portion of the strap is clamped to the plate 73 by a clamping. lever '15 pivoted to a bracket 79 for. swinging movement in a vertical plane. and; having a serrated cam face "a? positioned to engage the upper or free end of the strap in the horizontal position of the levershownin Figure 13 of the drawings; The lever- 75 is held'in its clamped position with re spect to the belt by a leaf spring '59 pivoted at the front end on the bracket '19 and-having the rear end engageable with the corresponding end of the lever 75 adjacent the finger engaging hole $9 in the lever. The construction is such that when it is desired to release the free end of the strap foradju'stment'or other purposes, the operator merely swings the spring '78 laterally out of engagement with the. lever 75 and swings the latter upwardly to release the strap.

The front end of the strap is held in loop fash he So-la "is formed by spaced plates 79 and H respey ion by a fitting 89-comprising laterally spaced triangular plates 8| respectively connected at the corners by pins 32, 83. and 8 The pin 8 extends: through.;the:.:lo.op and. the pins. 82.;and: 33' are respectively positioned: at; opposite. sides of the strap 'rearwardly of the. loop.. Thus: :one end of the. strap may be adjusted relative to the other end portion upon releasing the clampinglever 75. I

In each of the several embodiments noted above; the strap isprovided with a definite loop at. the front .end for :receiving the spring 53 at the rear of the cable. Thisloop acts to hold the forward end of the. strap in an elevated position shown in Figures 7,9 and;l3 of the drawings'and locate thespringloop 53 in aposition which facilitates placing :the heel of the ,boot

into the binding. Also each of the several types of strap assemblies employed function to release theheel. of theboot in response to the application of an abnormalupward force onthe heelportion of the boot.

increases the safety-oi? the binding without impairing its performance.v

What. I claim' as my invention is:

l- A ski binding comprising means. for. .posltioning a boot on a ski, means for yieldably clamping the heel portion of the 'boot on the. ski .including a coil spring having the opposite end portions respectively. anchored to opposite sides of the ski forwardly of the heel portion on the boot and having an intermediate portion-adapted to be loopedaround the back'of the. heel portion of the boot, a flexible non-resilientstrap having:

theendportions folded to overlie one another and provide a loop through which the springextends, a pin fixed on. the. slaiin spaced relation to the position :normally occupied by theheel of :the boot and projecting upwardly from the through aligned openings in the free end por' tions of said strap and a clamping element mount-- ed. on the pin and cooperating with said pin to secure the free end portions of the strap in place.

. 2; The ski binding set forth in claim 1 in which thefree ends of the strap are provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced aligned openings selectively engageable with the pin to vary the eiifeotive length of said strap.

' LUDVVIG A. lIiAJNlJRI.

a pea ances orren The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS This. feature, together with the: releasable toe irons previously described, greatly 

